There have been numerous prior proposals over many years for mounting body exercise apparatus in doorways. However the variety of exercises permitted by any prior individual doorway mounted apparatus has been rather limited.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,458,894 issued 1984 to Dudley teaches a body exercise apparatus comprising: a frame comprising a first, overhead, horizontal support bar having respective opposite ends attached to the door jams so as to bridge the doorway; a second, horizontal, pull bar attached by at least one transverse bar to the support bar to extend in parallel spaced apart relation in front thereof; a pair of depending stabilizing bars having respective upper ends attached to the support bar adjacent opposite ends thereof and a pair of depending strut bars attached at upper ends to the pull bar adjacent respective opposite ends thereof, and at respective lower ends to respective adjacent lower ends of the stabilizing bars, an outwardly extending bar portion provided on each lower end of one of the stabilizing bar and strut bar to protrude in front of respective door jambs so as to be brought into stabilizing pressure engagement therewith by a person's weight applied to the pull bar.
A disadvantage of the prior art is that only a relatively limited number of exercises can be performed without requiring additional devices. For example, there is not provision for a resistance set such as a weight set or elastic resistance cord, for provide resistance or assistance to body weight during body raising or other exercises. The area behind the door is not utilized; the frame is not collapsible for storage and there are not foot supports to enable a person to exercise when hanging upside down—requiring the inconvenience of a person to first donning leg hooks. The possibilities of performing both eccentric and concentric exercises are correspondingly limited.
Although U.S. Pat. No. 4,111,414 issued 1978 to Roberts teaches an exercise apparatus providing a weight set for weight assistance, the reference does not disclose or suggest either doorway mounting or the possibility of adjustment of the apparatus so that the weight set can also provide additional resistance to body weight.